


Best Foot Forward

by Tabithian



Series: Drake Investigations [2]
Category: Batman (Comics), DCU, DCU - Comicverse, Nightwing (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-24
Updated: 2012-09-24
Packaged: 2017-11-14 23:51:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/520805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tabithian/pseuds/Tabithian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tim's job, <i>jobs</i>, put him at something of a risk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Best Foot Forward

**Author's Note:**

> soot-em-up asked for The Talk between Bruce and Tim a while ago, and I finally got around to writing this. :D?
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> [Podfic version of this fic available here.](http://tabithian.tumblr.com/post/55798187322/podfic-for-best-foot-forward-done)

Tim's job, _jobs_ , put him at something of a risk. Tim's life, or maybe the way his luck runs, just adds to them. Normal security systems don't quite do the trick, not in Gotham, so he. Tinkers. 

“Nice,” Tim finds himself saying, when he finds the goddamned Batman in his living room. “I just upgraded my security measures.”

Batman stares back at him, terror of the night, but also _Bruce_ in the faint curve of his mouth.

Considering the reason Bruce is here, Tim was expecting more along the lines of growled threats and looming, but. This is Bruce, isn't it. Intimidating in or out of the suit, and a father protecting his family, which makes him more dangerous than Batman in that regard, but. 

Tim has had a long day, both of his jobs conspiring to ensure it would difficult and painful and oh yes. “Was that emergency business meeting really necessary?”

That tiny curve gets a little bigger because Bruce is a bastard, maybe as much of one as Batman is known to be. 

“Do you want something to drink?” Tim was brought up to a be a good host. “Something to eat?” Dick stops by sometimes, when it's a slow night. More to see Tim, sneak in a hug or a kiss and annoy him than anything else. 

Bruce shakes his head, and pulls the cowl down. He just looks at Tim for a long moment, like he's not really sure what to make of him. Which. Fair enough, not a lot of people do these days.

“You know who we are,” Bruce starts, feeling his way through this conversation.

Tim raises an eyebrow because yes, and even if he hadn't known, Bruce pulling the cowl back makes it a moot point. “Yes.”

There's a moment of weighted silence because Tim knows, and now Bruce knows that Tim knows, and it's dangerous for him to know. Tim is well aware of that, has always been aware of that. Not just for his own safety if anyone ever found out, but for theirs. Theirs, and everyone else in their lives, whether they have a penchant for masks and secret identities or not.

“How long have you known?” There's a hint of Batman creeping into Bruce's voice, now, because he should have known about Tim before this, or thinks he should have known, and didn't and that is unacceptable.

“I've known since I was nine,” Tim answers. “I saw Dick on the television as Robin one night.” When Bruce doesn't say anything, Tim goes on. “He did a quadruple somersault, and there are only a handful of people in the world who can do that.”

“You identified him from that?” Bruce asks, eyebrows drawing together. 

“I was at the circus the night his parents died,” Tim says, carefully. It's a subject he doesn't like bringing up, for various reasons, but Bruce is here in Batman's stead. Bruce who is coming to Tim about his family's safety. “I, ah.” Tim rubs the back of his neck. “I looked up to him,” is the probably the mildest way to put it.

And there goes Bruce's eyebrows.

“Oh, that didn't last long.” Tim says, because _Dick_. 

It's easy to admire him from a distance, hold him up on a pedestal, but once you get to know him? The horrible habits, the terrible sense of humor, and questionable fashion choices? It's not hero worship anymore, no. It changes, evolves and becomes something better because Dick isn't out of reach anymore. He's right there ruffling Tim's hair and hugging him and getting Tim in trouble and that was amazing. Still is.

Tim remembers being young and even more awkward than he is now. A little scrap of a kid, and Dick slinging one arm around Tim's shoulders, the other Jason's, and getting _all_ of them in trouble time after time. Remembers Alfred's look of disapproval and the way Bruce had tried to maintain his own in the face of Dick's everything.

Bruce snorts because _yes_ , Dick is a horrible human being.

“It's dangerous,” Bruce starts to say. “For you. Your family. Your friends.”

Tim knows. “I know.” His job has taught him the foolishness of keeping evidence where it can be found, used against someone. The value of secrets, and how easily they can be revealed.

Bruce's eyes go to the framed photographs on Tim's walls. Taken out of context, they're innocent enough. Pictures of Gotham from various viewpoints across the city. A sunrise here, a neon sign with the moon above it. Some of Gotham's more interesting gargoyles. Scenery of a dangerous city they both love.

“Ah,” Tim doesn't really know how to explain those, other than, “Photography is a hobby.”

And that get's Bruce's attention, shading into Batman again. “Are there - “

“No,” Tim says. He doesn't have the photographs anymore, or the negatives. He hasn't needed them for a while now. 

“You haven't changed,” Bruce says after a long moment, faint quirk of his lips. Tim's confusion must show because the quirk becomes a very small smile. “That's a good thing, Tim,” and turns to leave, headed for the window because of course he would.

“You know I'd never tell anyone, right?” Not just for Dick, or Bruce or the others, although they're a major concern, but for Gotham. Himself. 

Bruce looks at him, and nods. “I wouldn't have come here otherwise,” he says, and slips out of the window.

No, Tim knows. This was just a courtesy. If Bruce thought Tim was a threat, Tim never would have known.

********

The next night Tim has another late-night visitor in the form of Dick. He looks. Worried, almost, because of course Bruce wouldn't tell him how their late-night meeting went.

“You're all horrible human beings,“ Tim says, slumping next to him on the couch. 

“What did he do this time?” Dick asks, playing with Tim's hair. 

Tim looks up at him. “I know he knows what the meaning of the word 'emergency' is, Dick. His concern about the 'floatability' of something does not constitute an emergency, and it certainly doesn't require an emergency business meeting.”

Tim's starting to question the wisdom of a joint project between Drake Industries and Wayne Enterprises, if Bruce is going to insist Tim be at all meetings involved in said project.

Dick's lips twitch, some of the tension in his body leeching away. “Well - “

“Dick!”

Dick curls around him, face next to Tim's because he's an acrobat and finds all kinds of ways to remind Tim of that fact. “Everything went okay?” Quiet, serious.

Tim reaches a hand up, fingers on Dick's jaw. “He's making up for it with business meetings, I think.” And more than Bruce, more than _Batman_ , Brucie is the thing of nightmares and Bruce damn well knows it. “Tam 'accidentally' spilled coffee on him today.”

Dick laughs, arms tightening around Tim. For all the risks involved in Tim's life, this is definitely worth it.


End file.
